Surrey teen named Miss Teen Canada finalist (w/gallery)

A 14-year-old girl from Surrey has been named a finalist for Miss Teen Canada.

Aashritha Royyuru was officially named Miss Southern B.C. on March 2, placing her in the running for the national competition taking place in Toronto this summer.

Aashritha, a grade 8 student at Guildford Park Secondary School, has been training as an Indian classical dancer for the past five years.

She has performed at events in both India and Vancouver, including the Times of India Film Awards at B.C. Place last April, where she danced alongside the Shiamak Davar dance team and Bollywood stars like Priyanka Chopra.

In a question-and-answer with Miss Teen Canada, Aashritha said she believes that beauty doesnâ€™t stem from physical appearance.

â€śYou are beautiful when you are humble, when you are selfless, when you have a positive outlook on things and when you give back and appreciate everyone around you, whether itâ€™s your family, friends, or community,â€ť she said.

Part of her platform as Miss Southern B.C. is to spread awareness and raise funds for those living under the poverty line in third-world countries.

â€śMy platform is to spread the wordÂ to everyone that we are tremendously lucky to be here living in Canada, with all the needs and rightsÂ at our fingertips,â€ť said Aashritha.Â â€śThere are people around the world who are unfortunately under-privileged and under the poverty line and I feel like we should all work together and help each one of them out.â€ť

Aashritha is one of 10 B.C. finalists travelling to Toronto for Miss Teen Canada, where she will compete against 70 other girls from across Canada.

The final pageant, which supports the charity organization Free the Children, takes place July 19 to 26.

As part of her role as Miss Southern B.C., Aashritha needs to raise at least $400 for Free the Children to stay in the running as a finalist. To find out how to help her fundraising campaign email aashi3aashi@hotmail.com.